European regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 regional assessment: Vulnerable (VU)

In addition to their circumpolar distribution across Siberia and North America, Wolverines once occurred throughout the European part of Russia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Baltic States, and northeast Poland. During the 19th century, Wolverines disappeared from the southernmost of these areas in Europe mainly due to persecution, but also due to deforestation and other human developments. In Europe, the species is now found in Norway, Sweden, Finland and the European part of Russia. Within these countries, Wolverines are mainly found north of 60ºN.

The species underwent historical declines as a result of persecution, hunting, habitat loss and fragmentation, however, these declines are beyond the three-generation length timeframe (21-24 years) for a threatened category under criterion A, and the current population trend is overall at least stable. Whilst data from Scandinavia and Finland suggests Vulnerable (D1) for the European region given that the total population is probably between 1,200 and 1,600 individuals, which corresponds to about 700-1,100 reproductive individuals. However, an estimated overall population of 1,400-2,000 individuals in European Russia, based on end-of-winter surveys, suggests that the number of mature individuals there exceeds 1,000. As a result, the species is assessed as Least Concern (LC) for the European region.

In the EU 27 region, the total number of Wolverines is likely between 900 and 1,200 individuals (Höglund and Tovmo 2023, Milleret et al. 2023 ), which correspond to about 500-800 mature individuals and is therefore assessed as Vulnerable (D1).

Based on geographic connectivity the Wolverine in Europe likely consist of three subpopulations, but there is probably some connection between them;

1. Scandinavian
Vulnerable (VU D1). The Scandinavian part of the geographical European range is stable/increasing, but the population is small, about 800-1,200 individuals (not including cubs of the year; Höglund and Tovmo 2023, Milleret et al. 2023). The Scandinavian population is only narrowly connected with the Karelian population (Kleven et al. 2019).

2. Karelian
Endangered (EN D). The Finnish part of the Karelian population is very small, about 390-410 individuals (all age classes; Kojola et al. 2022). There is no recent data available on the population size from the European part of Russia, but older data indicates a higher density of Wolverine in Russian Karelian than in eastern Finland (Danilov et al. 1996).

3. European Russia
Least Concern (LC). An overall population size of 1,400-2,000 individuals is estimated for European Russia, based on end-of-winter surveys, suggesting that the number of mature individuals there exceeds 1,000.

Wolverines once occurred throughout the European part of Russia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Baltic states, and northeastern Poland. During the 19th century, Wolverines disappeared from the southernmost of these areas in Europe mainly due to persecution, but also due to deforestation and other human developments. In Europe, the species is now found in Norway, Sweden, Finland and the European part of Russia. Within these countries, Wolverines are mainly found north of 60ºN. The European Wolverine population is divided into three subpopulations with some dispersal between them, which can be described as follows (Chapron et al. 2014):

1. Scandinavian
The Scandinavian Wolverines are found in mountainous areas along the spine of the Scandinavian peninsula. This includes extensive areas along the border between Sweden and Norway and also extends southwestwards and away from the border in the southern part of Norway. They are also expanding into boreal forest areas in the south as far as and including Dalarna and Värmland County in southern Sweden and Hedmark County in southern Norway. The main body of the population exists in the northern parts of Scandinavia, but the population is expanding southwards. The population extends further to the north within Finnmark County in Norway with an extension into the northwestern parts of Finland (Aronsson and Persson 2017, Höglund and Tovmo 2023, Milleret et al. 2023).

2. Karelian
The Karelian Wolverines are mainly found in central Finland and along the border with Russia. Wolverines are also found scattered all the way to the common borders with Norway and Sweden.

3. European Russia
Wolverines are found in the European part of Russia (west of the Urals) including Russian Karelia and Murmansk oblasts. To the east, along the Urals, the population has a wide distribution from the Barents Sea in the high Arctic and south to approximately 60ºN.

Globally, the Wolverine has a circumpolar distribution across Siberia and North America.

The European Wolverine population is currently divided into three populations with some dispersal between them. During the 19th century, the Wolverine population decreased, but the population increased in both abundance and distribution during the 20th century. The total number of Wolverines in the EU 27 is likely to be between 900 and 1,200 individuals, which corresponds to about 500-800 reproductive individuals (Höglund and Tovmo 2023, Milleret et al. 2023). The number of Wolverine in the European part of Russia is estimated at 1,400—2,000 individuals (B. Пиминов pers. comm. May 2024), and Wolverine numbers are relatively stable or with an insignificant negative trend in the areas where they are resident (B. Пиминов pers. comm. May 2024).

1. Scandinavian
Population size: 800-1,200 Wolverines (not including cubs of the year). The population has been fluctuating during the last ten years, in part due to lethal control (especially in Norway). It increased during the period from 2006 to 2012 and then became fairly stable (Mattisson et al. 2022). The level of lethal control in Sweden is evaluated in relation to favourable conservation status and forecasted every year in an adaptive management framework (Andrén and Persson 2021).

2. Karelian
Population size: The Finnish part: 390-410 Wolverines (all age classes). The population is increasing. There are no recent data available on the population size from the European part of Russia, but older data indicate a higher density of Wolverines in Russian Karelian than in eastern Finland (Danilov et al. 1996).

3. European Russia
Population size: The number of Wolverine in the European part of Russia is estimated at 1,400—2,000 individuals (B. Пиминов pers. comm. May 2024), however, the proportion of reproductive individuals is not known. The population trend is stable where the species is resident but the species is included in several regional Red Data Books in the southern part of its range (B. Пиминов pers. comm. May 2024).

Wolverines inhabit a variety of habitats in the alpine, tundra, taiga, and boreal forest zones (Rauset et al. 2013). They are found in coniferous, mixed, and deciduous woodlands, bogs, and open mountain and tundra habitats. Wolverines have evolved to scavenge from the kills of wild ungulates abandoned by more efficient predators such as Wolves and Lynx (Mattisson et al. 2016), as well as victims of accidents and disease. However, Wolverines also prey on hares, rodents and occasionally animals as large as Moose given certain snow conditions. They can also prey heavily on domestic sheep and semi-domesticated Reindeer. The Wolverine has vast home ranges (Persson et al. 2009a) and good dispersal abilities (Vangen et al. 2001).

The threats are similar in the two-three populations. Human intolerance, which is used to justify lower conservation ambition in policies, is perhaps the greatest threat facing Wolverines in Europe today. Predation by Wolverines on Reindeer (Finland, Norway and Sweden) and sheep (Norway) are the most frequent damages that cause continuing debates about Wolverine conservation and need to be addressed by livestock protection schemes and compensation systems (Landa et al. 1999, Hobbs et al. 2012, Tveraa et al. 2014, Zabel et al. 2014, Mattisson et al. 2016). The conflicts with semi-domestic Reindeer need to be seen in a wider context of the challenges facing that industry, which include density-dependent food limitation, climate change, and loss of grazing areas due to infrastructure developments. In European Russia, the most significant natural threat to the Wolverine is the gradual decline in the number of wild Reindeer in the taiga zone (B. Пиминов pers. comm. May 2024), Domestic reindeer herding is developed in the tundra and forest tundra, leading to conflict as a result of predation by Wolverines.

An emerging threat is climate change (Glass et al. 2022) as Wolverines are dependent on good snow conditions (deep snow that lasts long into springtime) for their natal dens (Copeland et al. 2010) and for food caches. However, a recent study shows that the dependence of snow for denning is less strong (Persson et al. 2023).

The species is hunted for sport, and Norway manages Wolverine as a de facto game species with annual quotas. In European Russia, in general the species is caught accidentally by hunters in the forest zone hunters when hunting other species. However, in tundra and forest tundra, Wolverines are hunted more often, usually from snowmobiles (B. Пиминов pers. comm. May 2024).

Wolverines are strictly protected by the Bern Convention (Appendix II). In the European Union, the species is covered by the Habitats Directive Annex II, which requires the creation of Natura 2000 sites for the species.

1. Scandinavia
Wolverines are protected in Norway by the Bern Convention. However, Norway manages Wolverine as a de facto game species with annual quotas, set in relation to management objectives. These quotas are either filled by hunters in a specific season, or by state rangers using other means. In Sweden, Wolverines are protected under Annex II of the Habitat Directive. Sweden and Norway provide full compensation for losses/damages, with Sweden using a risk payment system for Reindeer (Zabel et al. 2014, Persson et al. 2015), whereas Norway pays ex post facto for both sheep and Reindeer losses.

The level of lethal control in Sweden is evaluated in relation to favourable conservation status and forecasted every year in an adaptive management framework (Andrén and Persson 2021).

2. Karelian
In Finland, the Wolverine is protected under Annex II and IV of the Habitats Directive. Finland compensates for a combination of documented and estimated losses of reindeer to Wolverines.

3. European Russia
Annual surveys, including for this species, are undertaken at the end of winter in the regions where there is snow cover). It is not known if harvest limits are set.